Cancer Screening - Pap Test

This indicator reports the percentage of women aged 18 and older who self-report that they have had a Pap test in the past three years. This indicator is relevant because engaging in preventive behaviors allows for early detection and treatment of health problems. This indicator can also highlight a lack of access to preventive care, a lack of health knowledge, insufficient provider outreach, and/or social barriers preventing utilization of services.

Cancer Screening - Pap Test

Data Background

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is

“... a collaborative project of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. states and territories. The BRFSS, administered and supported by CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Branch, is an ongoing data collection program designed to measure behavioral risk factors for the adult population (18 years of age or older) living in households. ” Citation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services. Overview: BRFSS 2010.

The health characteristics estimated from the BRFSS include data pertaining to health behaviors, chronic conditions, access and utilization of healthcare, and general health. Surveys are administered to populations at the state level and then delivered to the CDC and tabulated into county estimates by the BRFSS analysis team. Annual risk factor prevalence data are released for those geographic areas with 50 or more survey results and 10,000 or more total population (50 States, 170 Cities and Counties) in order to maintain the accuracy and confidentiality of the data. Multi-year estimates are produced by the NCHS to expand the coverage of data to approximately 2500 counties. These estimates are housed in the Health Indicator Warehouse, the official repository of the nation’s health data.

The Health Indicator Warehouse is the official repository of the nation's health data, providing public access to the information resources of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and others. When applicable, data can be obtained grouped by various information, including state, county, gender, race, ethnicity, and educational attainment.

Methodology

Indicator percentages are acquired for years 2006-2012 from Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) prevalence data, which is housed in the Health Indicator Warehouse. Percentages are generated based on the valid responses to the following questions: "A Pap test is a test for cancer of the cerivx. Have you ever had a Pap test?"Respondents are considered to have had a Pap test if they answer that they had ever had a test. Percentages are age-adjusted and only pertain to the non-institutionalized female population aged 18 and up. Population numerators (number of adults) are not provided in the Health Indicator Warehouse data tables and were generated using the following formula:

Adult population figures used in the data tables are acquired from the American Community Survey (ACS) 2007-2011 five year estimates. Additional detailed information about the BRFSS, including questionnaires, data collection procedures, and data processing methodologies are available on the BRFSS web site. For additional information about the multi-year estimates, please visit the Health Indicator Warehouse.

Notes

Race and EthnicityStatistics by race and ethnicity are not provided for this indicator from the data source. Detailed race/ethnicity data may be available at a broader geographic level, or from a local source.

Data SuppressionSuppression is used to avoid misinterpretation when rates are unstable. Data is suppressed when the total number of persons sampled (for each geographic area / population group combination) over the survey period is less than 50, or when the standard error of the estimate exceeds 10% of the calculated value.

About

Our goal is to align resources and work together to improve the health and well-being of all Franklin county residents. Through the utilization of data, we can integrate practices and coordinate improvements that will provide collective impact, leading to positive change.